When people hear the word windmills, the next thing that comes to their mind is often Holland or Netherlands. This is not a surprise at all as this place is very well known for their windmills. Windmills are what characterizes Holland the most for most people who have never been to this place and have only read about the place in books, magazines, or the internet.

Windmills are very significant to this amusing country as Netherlands is below sea level. Yes Netherlands is a low country and they need the mechanisms of the windmill in order to keep their water out. The country is near the North Sea and has a lot of rivers itself. Netherlands has really been dealing with a lot of water and flooding problems for centuries. They have built different dikes, fortifications, and of course the windmills in order to create new land. The oldest windmill in Netherlands is a watermill that goes all the way back to the eight century. These mechanisms and techniques were used to pump dry hundreds of lakes and swamps and to prevent their lands from flooding.

There are a thousand windmills in the whole of Netherlands and it is definite that you are bound to encounter one when you visit this idyllic country. Here are some of the most famous and spectacular windmills that Netherlands has to offer the world.

Kinderdijk is the most popular of polder mills and is listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. There are a total of nineteen windmills in this group, which makes for a very breath taking view of the whole place. Seeing the Kinderdijk will give you a great impression of how these windmills were able to prevent floods from taking place.

Then there are the mills of Schiedam, which are the five largest windmills of the world. Some of these windmills are even forty meters high. Some of these windmills play an important role in the production of jenever, which is Dutch gin. Instead of keeping water off or reclaiming lands, these windmills were used to grind grain.

Then lastly, go and visit Zaanse Schans. Over 250 years ago, about 600 windmills in Holland formed the first industrial site in the world. These windmills performed a range of industrial duties such as manufacturing shelves, paint, mustard, oil and paper. Nowadays, it is an open-air conservation area and museum for tourists.

Windmills have always been characteristic of the Dutch landscape and have been a huge part in the country’s terrible struggle with water. Windmills have been symbolic of the Dutch country with its majestic bodies and astounding fans put against a backdrop of the country style and rural places of Holland. A visit to the Netherlands in order to see the windmills feels as if you are inside a pretty picture in a postcard. Do not pass up the chance of seeing these splendid windmills for yourself.

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